State roster

Top names in North Dakota

The names most likely to appear on 1956 North Dakota birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 14,157 North Dakota births in 1956 across 469 distinct names.

Distinctively North Dakota

Names that rank far higher here than they do nationally — the ones that say North Dakota more than they say America.

#57Lynnoutside the national top 200
#61Terranceoutside the national top 200
#54Kelly#190 nationally
#66Lorenoutside the national top 200
#67Myronoutside the national top 200
#63Shelley#196 nationally
#74Lyleoutside the national top 200
#52Roxanne#172 nationally
#88Bonitaoutside the national top 200
#89Shellyoutside the national top 200
#90Candaceoutside the national top 200
#90Rossoutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Mary288US #1
#2Debra220US #2
#3Susan196US #5
#4Linda161US #3
#5Nancy146US #11
#6Karen143US #7
#7Barbara136US #9
#8Cynthia132US #8
#9Sandra129US #14
#10Pamela122US #12
#11Diane120US #15
#12Patricia107US #6
#13Carol106US #16
#14Cheryl103US #18
#15Deborah100US #4
#16Kathleen87US #17
#17Sharon83US #13
#18Julie76US #48
#19Peggy76US #63
#20Donna73US #10
#21Connie69US #43
#22Kathy69US #20
#23Brenda66US #19
#24Vicki64US #57
#25Lori63US #66
#26Jane59US #50
#27Rebecca59US #27
#28Bonnie58US #51
#29Cindy57US #37
#30Joan55US #52
#31Denise52US #23
#32Janet49US #21
#33Judy49US #35
#34Janice48US #26
#35Sherry48US #54
#36Kim46US #38
#37Marilyn46US #70
#38Debbie44US #39
#39Elizabeth44US #22
#40Renee40US #106
#41Michelle38US #88
#42Sheila38US #55
#43Beverly37US #40
#44Jean37US #65
#45Joyce37US #30
#46Laurie36US #76
#47Gail35US #49
#48Shirley34US #41
#49Kimberly33US #74
#50Ann32US #46
#51Cathy32US #36
#52Roxanne32US #172
#53Wanda32US #61
#54Teresa31US #24
#55Betty30US #44
#56Laura30US #34
#57Paula30US #47
#58Roberta30US #116
#59Vickie30US #68
#60Dawn29US #92
#61Jacqueline29US #78
#62Kathryn29US #60
#63Shelley29US #196
#64Carla28US #130
#65Colleen28US #113
#66Marsha28US #129
#67Catherine27US #28
#68Charlene27US #132
#69Joann26US #139
#70Margaret26US #25
#71Beth25US #117
#72Diana25US #56
#73Lois25US #135
#74Theresa25US #32
#75Darlene24US #71
#76Judith24US #45
#77Rita24US #79
#78Katherine23US #67
#79Marlene23US #170
#80Jennifer22US #97
#81Joanne22US #99
#82Kay21US #154
#83Lynn21US #58
#84Vicky21US #146
#85Constance20US #141
#86Doris20US #109
#87Patti20US #153
#88Bonita19
#89Shelly19
#90Candace18
#91Elaine18US #89
#92Jody18US #194
#93Yvonne18US #121
#94Angela17US #93
#95Christine17US #42
#96Dorothy17US #72
#97Jan17US #136
#98Jeanne17US #112
#99Jill17US #101
#100Laurel17

Boys

#1David327US #4
#2James252US #2
#3Mark235US #8
#4Michael227US #1
#5Robert214US #3
#6Steven208US #10
#7John202US #5
#8Timothy167US #19
#9Richard156US #7
#10Kevin152US #22
#11Thomas146US #9
#12Jeffrey136US #20
#13Randy131US #28
#14Daniel129US #18
#15Gary129US #13
#16Paul124US #17
#17Bruce119US #33
#18Ronald118US #15
#19William117US #6
#20Terry116US #31
#21Gregory115US #24
#22Kenneth101US #16
#23Douglas100US #29
#24Dale96US #50
#25Donald95US #14
#26Larry94US #21
#27Dennis92US #26
#28Scott90US #34
#29Brian88US #32
#30Rodney80US #65
#31Keith78US #36
#32Roger75US #41
#33Wayne71US #45
#34Craig70US #51
#35Charles63US #11
#36Kim59US #118
#37Dean57US #99
#38Joseph52US #12
#39Curtis51US #80
#40Bradley49US #103
#41Duane47US #127
#42Allen44US #87
#43Joel44US #106
#44Randall41US #54
#45Jon39US #116
#46Gerald35US #49
#47Jay35US #92
#48Jerry34US #35
#49Barry33US #69
#50Alan32US #44
#51Peter32US #37
#52Kent31US #149
#53Edward30US #25
#54Kelly30US #190
#55Ricky30US #43
#56Stephen29US #23
#57Lynn28
#58Jeffery27US #57
#59Lawrence26US #42
#60Marvin26US #105
#61Terrance26
#62Anthony25US #30
#63Danny25US #46
#64Jerome25US #117
#65Leslie24US #152
#66Loren24
#67Myron24
#68Darrell23US #88
#69Daryl23US #165
#70Glenn23US #61
#71Patrick23US #40
#72Steve23US #59
#73Eugene22US #86
#74Lyle22
#75Neil22US #171
#76Dwight21US #139
#77Kurt21US #138
#78Lee21US #104
#79Raymond21US #39
#80Russell21US #52
#81Tom21US #161
#82George20US #27
#83Todd20US #156
#84Micheal19US #83
#85Rick19US #100
#86Allan18US #177
#87Bryan18US #132
#88Jeff18US #145
#89Robin18US #143
#90Ross18
#91Gordon17US #130
#92Guy17US #146
#93Jack17US #66
#94Neal17
#95Perry17US #163
#96Dan16US #133
#97Kirk16US #162
#98Philip16US #64
#99Mike15US #97
#100Vernon15US #151

On the move since 1955

Rising

↑41Roxanne#52
↑33Barry#49
↑32Marsha#66
↑31Shelley#63
↑29Peter#51
↑28Betty#55
↑27Charlene#68
↑26Kimberly#49

Falling

↓38Gordon#91
↓37Lynn#83
↓37Elaine#91
↓34Rita#77
↓33George#82
↓30Patrick#71
↓29Allan#86
↓24Darlene#75

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1955 rankings.